FDA says you can enjoy fresh tomatoes again

The Food and Drug Administration has given consumers the green light to eat fresh tomatoes again, lifting a salmonella warning that has been in place for weeks on raw red plum, red Roma, or round red tomatoes.

Jalapeno and serrano peppers still get the red light, but federal health officials said that tomatoes in fields and stores today are safe to eat, according to this Associated Press story.

Since April, 1,220 persons have been sickened in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Seventeen were in Washington. Investigators still don’t know what caused the salmonella outbreak. Fresh cilantro is a suspect as well. The Food and Drug Administration’s food safety chief, however, didn’t clear tomatoes that were harvested in the spring.

My colleague, Andrew Schneider, has kept close tabs on the process. Read here and here. Read more from the FDA here.